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Top 20 resorts for Extreme/Expert Terrain
Top 20 resorts for Extreme/Expert Terrain
Click on the names of the resorts to view their trail maps!
Telluride is considered a good skiers dream. The runs are always top-notch, the town is excellent, and it has the legendary Palmyra Peak, which has perhaps the hardest skiing in the state.
Pros:
SO MUCH EXPERT TERRAIN
The number of double blacks compared to other runs is exceptional - all around the mountain
Easy to stay somewhere - nice ski town
Small-ish crowds
Cons
Pretty expensive
Jackson Hole is arguably the most famous extreme terrain resort IN THE WORLD. It has hard runs everywhere, lots of powder any time of year, and as a bonus, it's huge!
Pros:
Extremes everywhere
Minimal hiking required - almost 100% of terrain is lift serviced
Lots of snow
Cliffs are INCREDIBLE.
Cons
Expensive
Crowds huge, especially on powder days and weekends - you have to put up with lift lines
Big Sky is the definition of big mountain skiing. It is the biggest single resort in the US, (Park city is only bigger because it merged with Canyons) and is always recognized by big Lone Peak and the big tram that takes the big-time extreme skiers to the top. Wow, what big skiing!
Pros:
It's big.
It's extreme.
It's empty. (almost always)
Cons:
Hard to get to
The tram is not always open, if so then the extreme terrain potential goes down a lot. If you want to ski Lone peak, don't go in really early or really late season. Also the tram line is huge.
Palisades Tahoe is the birthplace of extreme skiing. This place is amazing. It is extremely famous for its expert terrain, such as The Palisades, KT-22, and the Fingers.
Pros:
Lots of expert stuff all around the mountain.
Lake Tahoe brings beautiful views
Cliffs everywhere! This place is the definition of cliff jumping.
Cons:
Crowded - Lake Tahoe's most popular ski area
Whistler Blackcomb is the biggest ski area in North America, and it has some of the most extreme runs in the world. This place is indescribable. Just look at the trail map!
Pros:
Huge - A lot of everything - beginner, advanced, terrain parks, you name it!
Hiking and traversing almost never required - lift system very efficient
Altitude 2,000 feet - altitude sickness begone!
Cons:
Crowds
To cross the border is a big hassle
Snowbird is one of the greatest skiing gems of Utah. It is located in the Little Cottonwood canyon, and is known for crazy steeps.
Pros:
Extreme terrain everywhere, from chutes to tree runs to open bowls
SO MUCH SNOW!!! Almost 500 inches a year on average!
Tram gives you over 3,000 feet of straight vertical- and lots of ways to use it too!
Cons:
Lift lines long - especially the aerial tram
Some of the best runs require long traverses
Alta is Snowbird's brother in a lot of ways. It has lots of extreme terrain, lots of traverses, lots of trees, and lots of iconic runs. Only one thing is different. NO SNOWBOARDERS ALLOWED. I don't know if you consider this a good thing or a bad thing. Man, these pros and cons are going to be weird!
Pros:
Lot of traversing needed - keeps the "un-serious" away
No snowboarders!
Barely any beginner terrain - everything is either advanced or extreme
Moguls are huge and on a lot of terrain
Cons:
Lot of traversing needed - unless you're willing to hike (a lot)
No snowboarders.
Barely any beginner terrain - if you aren't very good you will be doomed
Moguls are huge and on a lot of terrain
I know what you're thinking. (If you've ever heard of Silverton, of course) How in the world is this ranked number eight instead of number one? Silverton may be 100% double blacks, but it has limited access to that extreme terrain. It only has one lift, for crying out loud!
Pros:
This place literally is the extreme stuff. It has no greens, no blues, and no single black diamonds.
Never crowded. Literally never.
Some of the best powder days in the nation
Cons:
Only one lift - only a few runs follow the lift line so almost every run has at least five minutes of hiking or traversing at the base back to the lift.
Bonus stuff: Click here to get to a spreadsheet where you can post the most extreme trail maps on the interweb!
Bonus stuff: Click here to get to a spreadsheet where you can post the most extreme trail maps on the interweb!
Crested Butte is a really nice resort with lots of extremes, a good ski town, and backcountry-feel runs everywhere. It, awesomely, boasts the STEEPEST RUN IN THE WORLD, called Rambo, at 55 degrees!
Pros:
Lots of variety of expert terrain, from narrow chutes to 50 degree tree runs.
Barely any hiking anywhere!
Ski town is one of the best
Cons:
They never exactly get heaps of snow - only 250 inches a year
Taos is for sure the best ski resort in New Mexico, if not in the entire southwest! It has lots and lots of extreme terrain, a very relaxed feel, and some of the most wild chutes, bowls, and glades in the whole USA!
Pros:
A ton of extremes - barely any greens or blues
Very relaxed mood
Best resort if you live in the southwest or especially New Mexico
Cons:
Almost no high-speed lifts - though this does add to the relaxed feel
Snow is on average okay but is unpredictable and rocks need a lot of snow cover
Bridger Bowl is definitely for experts. It is often outshined by its neighbor and older brother, Big Sky, but it still has that terrain that extreme skiers love. Plus, it has the only lift in the US that you need a beacon to ride!
Pros:
Extremes all over
Almost everything accessed by lift
EXTREMELY inexpensive - only $60 a day!!!*
Cons:
Extreme avalanche danger - this is why you need a beacon to ride the lift that goes to the super steep stuff
*I don't really understand how this is possible, so don't trust that that is the actual price, though I did some online searching and that was all I could find.
Alyeska is the crown jewel in skiing of Alaska. It is by far the biggest resort, the best one, the most extreme, and the most famous. Alyeska is awesome!
Pros:
Extreme terrain is some of the world's best
Ridiculous amount of snow
Altitude is at sea level - it is literally impossible to get altitude sickness - plus views of the ocean are amazing
Empty
Cons:
Absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to get to by car - and plane tickets are really pricey
Short ski day - northern latitude causes the days to be short and the nights to be long
Arapahoe Basin was my favorite ski resort after my first ski season ever. I loved it because it has multiple sections, it was super extreme, it had a large variety of glades, its lift system was nice in which you could go on runs over and over again, it was never super crowded, and it always had lots of powder when I went there.
Pro:
SO MUCH EXTREME TERRAIN! The Pallivinchi Lift takes you to so many double black runs, all at a pitch of like 45 degrees, and also to the Steep Gullies area, which you do need to hike afterwards to get to the base. The East wall area is legendary, with narrow, steep chutes, huge couloirs, and a big steep bowl at the end. The eastern part of the Montezuma bowl takes you to super steep open bowls with forty degree pitches, before running into some challenging glades. If you go farther down than the bottom of the Zuma lift, you get to gladed powder stashes with only a ten minute hike to get back to the lift. Plus, there are rarely any crowds at all! A-Basin is AWESOME!!!
Cons:
Hiking and traversing IS required to get to the insane terrain - although there is plenty of good steep bump runs off of lifts
Harder to get to than Loveland, Breckenridge, Keystone, or Copper Mountain, the other resorts near A-Bay
Kirkwood is a good expert area with hard bump runs all over. It's good with snow, and has, on average, the best conditions in Tahoe. It almost never has crowds, and its lift system is very efficient
Pros:
Expert bump runs everywhere along the mountain
Easy to get to
So much snow! Over 450 inches a year!
Cons:
Not as many extreme chutes - it's more of an expert mountain
Aspen Highlands isn't just "another Aspen resort". It is for sure the most extreme out of the four, it has the legendary Highlands Bowl, and it is the biggest. (except for Snowmass, of course.)
Pros:
Most extreme out of the Aspen resorts
Steep!
Not as crowded as the other Aspen areas
Cons:
Not much snow
SUPER pricey - Aspen is the most expensive ski town in the US!
Crystal Mountain is Seattle's favorite ski area. It's big, it has great expert terrain, and it is right on Mount Rainier, one of America's most classic mountains. You should go!
Pros:
Nice and expert, especially at the top of the area
Great views of Mount Rainier blanketed in snow
Very accessible - close to a lot of big cities
Cons:
SUPER CROWDED especially on pow days or weekends
Mammoth Mountain is a really great resort for extreme terrain, with lots of cliffs, chutes, open bowls, and hard glades. The Upper Panorama Gondola itself gets you to so many double blacks all over the top of the mountain!
Pros:
Cliffs, chutes, and bowls are in abundance all over the top ridge of the mountain!
Lots of terrain parks - if you like jumps
Pretty huge - TONS of lifts
Cons:
Crowded on weekends
Hard to get to - three and a half hours away from the next major city!
Mount Baker currently holds the world record for most snow ever in a ski season, with an astounding 1,140 inches! This is so ridiculous! This resort also has a decent amount of expert runs, despite its small size.
Pros:
Extremes are there - though not as many as some of these other resorts because it is so small
You never run out of "Sierra Cement"*
Not many crowds often
Cons:
Not big at all - you may get tired of the terrain if you spend a week there
*Sierra Cement is a type of snow that is super duper wet and hard. It is much different from powder snow.
Bonus Stuff: Click here to get to a form where you can vote for your favorite type of snow! (for skiing, of course)
Bonus Stuff: Click here to get to a form where you can vote for your favorite type of snow! (for skiing, of course)
Winter Park is perhaps the best resort to go to if you live in Denver. It is quite big, has a large variety of advanced, expert, and extreme terrain, and is the closest resort to Denver by car!
Pros:
Great and known for expert, steep bump runs to get your heart pumping
Super close to Denver
Amazing to navigate - excellent trail map with seven different sections - each having their own type of terrain and family friendliness
Cons:
This is much more an advanced area and it only has two sections of double blacks
Crowded and expensive
Breckenridge is the most visited ski resort in North America, and for good reason! It doesn't have as much expert terrain as some of the other areas on this list, but it has enough to keep you excited for a day or two.
Pros:
Expert runs are all around the top of the mountain - most have none to a five minute hike
AMAZING ski town
Huge - lots to explore
Cons:
INCREDIBLY CROWDED - the most visited ski resort in North America
So expensive.
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